A strong call was made at Wings India 2026 on January 28 for building a domestic aircraft leasing and financing system. Experts from regulators, banks, manufacturers, and airlines met at Begumpet Airport, Hyderabad. They urged urgent policy and market reforms to keep leasing activities within India. Piyush Srivastava, Senior Economic Advisor, Ministry of Civil Aviation, said about 85% of Indian commercial aircraft are leased, much higher than the global average of 50%. Yet, India misses out on economic benefits because most aircraft are financed overseas. "India should have a meaningful share in the proceeds of leasing," he said. Several speakers pointed to issues like heavy taxation on non-residents, expiring incentives, high corporate tax, and lack of investor trust that block local leasing growth. Dipesh Shah, Executive Director of IFSC, explained that GIFT City has built much of the required infrastructure. From 2023 to 2026, 370 assets including aircraft and engines were leased through GIFT City by 38 lessors, with 75% of aircraft leased from the IFSC. Nearly 90-95% of needed banking and leasing services are in place there, with 37 banks operating. Pankaj Malhotra of Airports Authority of India highlighted that easy aircraft induction, deregistration, and repossession are key to investor confidence. He stressed the importance of the Cape Town Convention for reducing risks and better asset use. Bankers admitted challenges remain, such as conservative lending, asset-liability mismatch, and limited skills to evaluate aircraft. Ashok Kumar Sharma from State Bank of India urged frameworks for holding and redeploying aircraft and called for rupee-based financing models. Aircraft makers and airlines backed the need for trust, stable taxes, and skill growth. Airbus’ Edward Delahaye said India needs nearly $100 billion for aircraft financing in the next decade. He noted 18% of recent Indian deliveries were financed by Middle Eastern banks. Mr. Delahaye announced Airbus will hold a financier forum in Mumbai in 2026 to build local skills. Airbus delivered 63 aircraft to India in 2025, 7% of their total, and plans to double deliveries next year. The session ended with broad agreement: India’s aviation boom will rely on strong local leasing and financing systems.